Dewan Rakyat Makes History As Media Council Bill Passed, Two Key Reform Bills Tabled

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 (Bernama) -- The Dewan Rakyat marked a historic milestone in its fourth week of sitting with the passing of the Malaysian Media Council (MMC) Bill 2024 and the tabling of the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the Parliamentary Service Bill 2025 for the first reading.

The MMC Bill 2024 symbolises a significant achievement for Malaysia’s media industry after more than 50 years of discussions, aiming to safeguard media freedom in ensuring the public receives accurate, credible and fair information.

Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching, when tabling the bill, said the idea of forming a committee or organisation to coordinate media industry governance in Malaysia was first proposed in 1973.

She said that with the establishment of the MMC, the government is confident that the media industry itself can implement checks and balances to enhance integrity and ethical compliance.

Meanwhile, the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the Parliamentary Service Bill 2025 are key efforts to strengthen the institution of Parliament and introduce comprehensive institutional reforms.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said that under the MADANI Government’s institutional reform agenda, Parliamentary Services will gain autonomous power in determining policies and governance for the Malaysian Parliament.

Azalina tabled both bills on Monday, with the second reading expected to be presented by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on March 4.

Meanwhile, the Dewan Rakyat also passed the BERNAMA (Amendment) Bill 2024 which aims to make the media industry more inclusive and ensure a new, more dynamic composition in line with the current developments and needs of the media industry.

Amendments to the BERNAMA Act 1967, the first to be made since its enactment, involved Section 2 of the principal Act to expand the definition of media organisation beyond print media to include mass communication via electronic or digital media, reflecting current technological and digital advancements.

When tabling the bill for its second reading, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the amendments would enhance the digital ecosystem in line with the Malaysia MADANI framework by optimising the use of digital media alongside other conventional media to bring balance between the two.

The Dewan Rakyat also approved the Auditor-General’s Report (LKAN) 1/2025 on the Federal Agencies’ Financial Statements for 2023, which addresses issues related to leakages, non-compliance with regulations and conditions, and planning weaknesses to prevent recurrence.

In addition, the government tabled the Supplementary Supply (2024) Bill 2025 to make provisions for the withdrawal of an amount not exceeding RM20,191,299,500 from the Consolidated Fund for additional expenditures for services in 2024.

The Fire Services (Amendment) Bill 2025 was also tabled to amend the Fire Services Act 1988, which seeks to introduce a new Section 50A to address impersonation of fire officers, auxiliary fire officers and voluntary fire officers.

The First Meeting of the Fourth Session of the 15th Parliament, which began on Feb 3, will conclude on March 6 after 18 sitting days.

According to the official Parliament calendar, the next Dewan Rakyat sitting is scheduled from June 23 to July 31.

-- BERNAMA